Railway crossing



Feb. 24, 1931. J. A. nAlLl-:Y :TAL

RAILWAY cnossna Filed April 14, 1930 O lllll llo lllll lllll LL. weZjfa-Jahn @Brul i Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED' STATES Mii-337e PATENTNOFFICE Y JOHN A. BAILEY, OF BURLINGTON, AND LEWIS W. GERTH, or WAPELLO,Iowa RAILWAY CROSSING Application mea April 14,

- l object of the present invention is to provide an improved railwaycrossing comprising aplurality of metallic sections, supported on tiesat asuitable height to form a surface in the same plane with the treadof the rails, the sections being adapted to be Vreadily placed inposition or removed Without interfering with the rails.

Another object'of the present invention is to provide an improvedrailway crossingof theabove type Awhich maybe built at the factory,easily shipped to its destination and conveniently assembled on the job.

AA further object is to provide a railway crossing ofthe above typehaving meansfor insulating the sections from the rails sothat it will beimpossible for electrical currents to pass from one rail to the other.

A yet further Object is to provide a railway crossing which will beeiiicient in use'and adapted for all kinds of traiiic, simpliiied inconstruction and durable in wear.

.With these and various other objectsin view,`the inventionmay consistofcertain novel features of construction and operation, as will bemorefully described and particularly pointedout in the specification,drawings and' claims appended heretop A In the drawings,`vvhichillustrate an embodiment of the device and wherein like refere'ncecharacters are used to designate like partsf `Figure 1 is a crosssectional view taken transversely of the railroadtrack and showingtheconstruction of the present invention. Figure 2 isa top plan view ofthestruc- )ture shown in Figure A j l Figure 3 is a detail sectionalview showing the construction for insulating the sections from therails.`

Referring to the drawings, it Will be noted that the present inventionis adaptedto be associated with arailroad track of the conventionaltype, employing a series of transverse ties 10, upon Which are"supported in correct spaced relation the rails 11;A Any 1930. serial No.444,181.

preferred means such as spikes may be employed for securing the rails 11in place upon the ties.

The crossing` comprises a plurality of metallic plate sections of Whichplates 12 are adapted to be located centrally of the crossing betweenthe rails 11. The plates 12 are ycounterparts of each other, each beingprovided With a grooved edge portion 13 on one side, which portion isadapted to underlie the head of the rails 11. For supporting the plates12 a plurality of supporting members `14 areprovided, which members areof channeled formation. These members rest upon the top of the ties andhave secured to them by riveting or other means, the plates l2. Eachplate preferably employs four of the channeled members for supportingitupon the ties. The central supporting member 15 of each plate has itschanneled portion in facing relation with the channeled portion of theoppositely disposed member 15, each `member being lirmly secured to theties 10 by suitable spikes 16 and in turn having riveted to them theplates 12 as described. In addition the channeled members 15 haveriveted to their upper flanges a plurality of brackets 1,7 for purposesto be described. The riveting for securing the channeled members totheir respective plates 12 is located at inf tervals as shown in Figure2 by the rivet heads and at these intervals the centrally disposedchanneled members 15 have secured to them the brackets 17.

Extending longitudinally ot the crossing and parallel with the railsthere is provided a central beam 18 preferably for the purposes of thepresent invention.` comprisi ng a wooden beam and being secured to thecross ties l0 by centrally disposed spikes l5). lVth the chan nelmembers 15 secured in place and the lnackets 17 located at their properintervals,

the Wooden beam 1S is thou adapted to be .located in position betweenthe members 15 and 1s of a size to exactly iit within the space deiinedby the members and so thus has boaringengagement against the brackets17.

lVith the wooden beam firmly secured in place by the spikes 19 and thechannel members l5 by their spikes 16, the brackets 17 will serve toprovide a rigid support for the upper portion of the channeled members.Any thrust which maybe imparted to the plates 12 will be thustransmitted tothe channeled members andato the brackets 1,7, which inturn will transmit the same tothe central beam. lith the beam thusfirmly secured totheties itis seen thatthe plates 12 and theirsupporting members form an extremely rigid construction. Y

' Disposed outwardly ot" the rails are apll proach plates 20, whichplates vare counterpartsof each other being provided with one straightedge and a grooved edge 21 which has underlying` relation with the headsof the rails 11. rlhese app-roachplates are adapted to be supported. onthe ties at substantially the same height as the plates 12 by supportingmembers 22, also of channeledforni. rlhe members 22 rest upon the ties 10 andhave the approach plates 20 secured thereto by riveting or othermeans. The outside supporting member is adapted to be secured to the tieby' a headed spike 23 as shown in g .Figure 1. These spikes are locatedin the ties 10 in a direction to not only lirmly secure the members 22thereto but also to force the ap- `proach plates 20 in a'directiontowards the rails 11 so that their- .grooved edge 21 will underlie theheads of the rails.

In assembling lthe construction at that particular location on thetracks adapted to rform va crossing orvehicular traffic, it isonlynecessary to locate the platest12 centrally of the roadbed sothattheir grooved edge 13 willV underlie theheads of the rails 11.' Theplates 12 are of a width when properly located to allow insertion ot thecentrically disposed Wooden beam 18. It is of course understood thatprevious to securing thebeam 18 in place it is necessary to firmlysecure the supporting members 15 to theties and .to also locate in theirproper position the brackets 17. With the central part of the crossingin assembled posit-ion the approach plates 20 can then vbe located onthe outer side of the rails and secured in place by means of thespike-members ,23.

For forming a crossing, the plates 12 and approach plates 20 areprovided with a pluralityof stuckup knobs 24 located in spaced positionson their upper surface. These knobs constitute: a

cheap and eilfective meansfor preventing skidding of the rubber tiresotfautomobiles and furthermore has the advantage in that they do notinjure the tires. i

For the purpose of allowing automatic operation of danger signals whichisaccoinplished by causing a current to tiow'troin one rail to theother, it is necessaryto insulate thel rails from each other, otherwisesignaling by.

this means would be impossible. To this end ythe groov'ed edges 13 and21 ot the plates'12 and the approach plates 2 0 respectively arenon-skidding surface for the tipped with a strip of insulating-material25 as shown inFigure 3. This insulating strip is adapted to entendy thefull width ol the crossing, thatis, from one end of the plates to theextreme other end. By the construction oi the present invention thegrooved-edges of the plates Lterminate a short' distance from theirails11V and therefore the plates 12 and 20 do not have contacting engagementwith the rails at all. For' securing the strip of insulating materialr251to the edges of theplates a clip oi steel 26 is provided ot U-shapedtorni vadaptedto be ifitted upon the insulating strip and to havebearing engagement against the v rails. The steel clips 26 are providedat yintervals.throughout theY length of thecrossingpi'eferably-every twoteet.V It is'thus seen ,that by means of the above construction theelectric currents traveling in each rail 11 Will vbe preventedtroinvpassing from rail to raily by reason of the insulating strip 2.5, andalso that the `steel clip serves to lirinly holdthe i insulation inplaceas Well as forming a backing means for engaging the rails. i

It is tovbe understood that wedo not Wish to be limited by the `exactembodiment ot' the devicel shown, which is merely by :way otillustration.. and not` limitation, asivarious and cated between themembers, and means se-` curing said members and beam to the ties.

2. In combination with thevrails and'ties of aurailroadtrack, a -pair'otplates having groovedside'edges adapted to underlie the heads of saidrails, channeled members rest ing on the vties yand supportingsaidplates, certain of said members disposedv with their Vchannels facingeachother, a longitudinally .extending beam located between theychanneled members, 'and means securing said members and beam to theties. y

3. In combination with the rails and ties of a'railroad track, a pair ofplates having .grooved side edges adapted to underlie the l. heads ofsaid rail, supportingmembers in 1120 channel form resting 0n said tiesand secured to said plates, certain of the channel :members having theirchannel portions tacing but spaced from each other, a rectangular'beamlocated between the spaced members, brackets onv the spaced Vmembers forholding the beam in place, and meanssecuringfthe spaced members to theties.

- 4f. In a railway crossing in combination, a pair of.v rails, crossingplates betweenvsaid llO rails and adjacent thereto, supports for saidcrossing plates, edge portions of said crossing plates underlying theheads of said rails, a strip of insulation beaded over the edge of saidportions, and means for maintaining the insulation in place.

5. In a railway crossing in combination, a pair of rails, 'crossingplates between said rails and adjacent thereto, supports for saidcrossing plates, edge portions of said crossing plates underlying theheads of said rails, a strip of insulation beaded over the edge of saidportion, and metallic clips at spaced irtervals for maintaining theinsulation in p ace.

6. In a railway crossing in combination, a pair of rails, crossingplates located between the rails and adjacent thereto, supports for saidcrossing plates, the edge portions of said crossing plates underlyingthe rails but spacedtherefrom, a strip of insulation beadedover the edgeof said portions, and clips i for securing the insulation in place andhaving bearing against the rails.

7. In a railway crossing, in combination, a pair of rails, crossingplates between said rails and adjacent thereto, supports for saidcrossing plates, edge portions of said crossing plates underlying theheads of said rails, insulating material bounding the inner edges ofsaid crossing plates,and a longitudinally extending beam locatedintermediate said first mentioned crossing plates for reinforcing thestructure.

Signed at Burlington, Iowa, this 21st day of March, 1980.

LEWIS W. GERTH. JOHN A. BAILEY.

